Gene Tools
Gene Tools manufactures Morpholino antisense oligos (PMOs) and delivery reagents — including proprietary Vivo-Morpholinos and PPMOs — for academic and pharmaceutical researchers conducting gene knockdown, splice modification, and exon-skipping studies.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1997
- HeadquartersPhilomath, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Gene Tools does
Gene Tools, LLC is a privately held Oregon-based company founded in 1997 that manufactures and sells Morpholino antisense oligos — short (~25 subunit) phosphorodiamidate morpholino oligomers (PMOs) that use an RNase H-independent steric blocking mechanism to knock down gene expression, modify RNA splicing, and inhibit miRNA activity. Its proprietary portfolio includes standard Morpholinos, Vivo-Morpholinos (octa-guanidine dendrimer conjugates covered by US Patent 7,935,816) for in vivo delivery to adult animals, peptide-conjugated Morpholinos (PPMOs), the Endo-Porter endosomal-escape delivery reagent, and HPLC purification services for high-purity oligos intended for conjugate work.
The company sells primarily through a self-service online storefront (store.gene-tools.com) with unit-based pay-as-you-go pricing, supplemented by direct Ph.D.-level customer support that provides free oligo design, experiment consultation, and troubleshooting. Customers are predominantly academic developmental biology labs (zebrafish, Xenopus, chick, sea urchin models) and pharmaceutical/biotech drug discovery groups using Morpholinos for target validation and exon-skipping research, with four FDA-approved PMO drugs (eteplirsen, casimersen, golodirsen, viltolarsen) validating the platform. Gene Tools maintains a publications database of over 12,256 citations and, as of October 2025, has a non-exclusive collaboration with Ajinomoto Bio-Pharma Services to route customers from research-grade PMO synthesis into GLP/GMP manufacturing for clinical programs. The firm is privately held with no disclosed funding rounds and 11–50 employees.
Gene Tools firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Gene Tools
- Legal name
- Gene Tools, LLC
- Website
- https://gene-tools.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1997
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Gene Tools manufactures Morpholino antisense oligos (PMOs) and delivery reagents — including proprietary Vivo-Morpholinos and PPMOs — for academic and pharmaceutical researchers conducting gene knockdown, splice modification, and exon-skipping studies.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Gene Tools industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Antisense Oligonucleotide Reagents
- NAICS
- Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Biological Product (except Diagnostic) Manufacturing (325414)
- SIC
- Medicinal Chemicals & Botanical Products (2833), Biological Products, (No Disgnostic Substances) (2836)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Antisense Oligonucleotides (ASO) Therapeutics (splice modulation/knockdown) (HLAAADAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- RNA Chemistry & Oligonucleotide Engineering (backbones, modifications, stereochemistry) (HLAAADAE), RNA Manufacturing & CMC (oligo synthesis, IVT, purification, formulation, QC) (HLAAADAF), RNA Delivery Technologies (LNPs, polymers, conjugates incl. GalNAc, peptides, exosomes) (HLAAADAD)
Keywords
Where Gene Tools is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Philomath
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Gene Tools business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Morpholino Oligo Sales: Gene Tools generates revenue through the sale of Morpholino antisense oligos in various forms including standard Morpholinos, Vivo-Morpholinos, Peptide-Conjugated Morpholinos (PPMOs), and associated delivery reagents like Endo-Porter. Products are sold in different quantities (400, 2000, 10,000 nmole) with pricing tiers for large-scale orders. The company also offers custom oligo design services as part of the product offering.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Standard Morpholino oligos with quantity-based pricing |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Vivo-Morpholinos in 400, 2000, and 10,000 nmole quantities |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | HPLC Purification add-on service |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels6 records
Gene Tools product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Gene Tools manufactures and sells Morpholino antisense oligonucleotides (PMOs) and related delivery reagents used by researchers to knock down gene expression, modify RNA splicing, and inhibit miRNA activity. Core offerings include standard Morpholino Antisense Oligos, Vivo-Morpholinos for in vivo delivery, Peptide-Conjugated Morpholinos (PPMOs), and the Endo-Porter delivery reagent, complemented by free oligo design assistance from Ph.D.-level scientists and HPLC purification services for high-purity oligos.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 12,000 scientific publications using Morpholinos maintained in online browsable database
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Gene Tools
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Gene Tools technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature7 records
Gene Tools partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Ajinomoto Bio-Pharma Services (Aji Bio-Pharma)coreGene Tools and Ajinomoto Bio-Pharma Services announced a non-exclusive collaboration on October 21, 2025, to broaden access to phosphorodiamidate morpholino oligomers (PMOs) for treating genetic diseases such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). Under the agreement, Gene Tools provides pre-purified PMO synthesis for early-stage research while Ajinomoto Bio-Pharma handles purification, quality control, and large-scale GLP/GMP manufacturing, creating a seamless pathway from early research to clinical development.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Gene Tools competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Integrated DNA Technologies (IDT): IDT is a leading manufacturer of custom oligonucleotides (DNA, RNA, antisense) for research and diagnostics, with a global catalog and GMP capabilities. It is the closest direct competitor to Gene Tools in research-grade custom oligo supply, with substantially greater scale (owned by Danaher).
- Bio-Synthesis Inc. Bio-Synthesis is a custom oligonucleotide manufacturer offering modified oligos, antisense, and aptamers for research and diagnostic applications. It is a smaller-scale direct competitor in custom antisense oligo production.
- Eurofins Genomics: Eurofins Genomics manufactures custom oligos, primers, and synthetic RNA products for academic and pharma research globally. It competes with Gene Tools on custom oligonucleotide synthesis for research customers.
- TriLink BioTechnologies: TriLink manufactures modified mRNA, oligonucleotides, and nucleic acid analogs for research and therapeutic applications, including GMP-grade synthesis. It overlaps with Gene Tools on oligonucleotide chemistry and increasingly on GMP oligonucleotide supply via its Maravai LifeSciences parent.
- LGC Biosearch Technologies: Biosearch Technologies designs and manufactures custom oligonucleotides, fluorescent probes, and qPCR assays for genomics research. It is a direct competitor in the custom research-oligo market served by Gene Tools.
Broad incumbents
- Sarepta Therapeutics: Sarepta commercializes FDA-approved Morpholino-based exon-skipping drugs (eteplirsen, casimersen, golodirsen) for Duchenne muscular dystrophy. It validates the Morpholino chemistry but is a downstream therapeutics player rather than a research-reagent competitor.
- Wave Life Sciences: Wave develops stereopure oligonucleotide therapeutics using PRISM chemistry, including exon-skipping programs for DMD and Huntington's. It is a broad incumbent in therapeutic antisense oligos, overlapping with Morpholino use cases in neuromuscular diseases.
- Ionis Pharmaceuticals: Ionis is the leading antisense oligonucleotide therapeutics company, with a broad ASO pipeline and commercial products. It is a broader incumbent in antisense chemistry — adjacent to Morpholinos — and competes for pharma R&D dollars in nucleic-acid therapeutics.
Others
- Ajinomoto Bio-Pharma Services: Aji Bio-Pharma is Gene Tools' GMP manufacturing partner under the October 2025 collaboration and a leading CDMO for oligonucleotide and peptide synthesis. It is an enabling ecosystem participant rather than a competitor.
Emerging players
- Nippon Shinyaku: Nippon Shinyaku developed viltolarsen (Viltepso), an FDA-approved Morpholino-based exon-skipping drug for DMD. It is a regional/emerging therapeutics player in the same Morpholino chemistry but focused on clinical/commercial supply rather than research reagents.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Gene Tools social profiles
Digital presenceGene Tools financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Gene Tools leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Gene Tools funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Gene Tools M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Gene Tools
What does Gene Tools do?
Gene Tools manufactures and sells Morpholino antisense oligonucleotides (PMOs) and related delivery reagents used by researchers to knock down gene expression, modify RNA splicing, and inhibit miRNA activity. Core offerings include standard Morpholino Antisense Oligos, Vivo-Morpholinos for in vivo delivery, Peptide-Conjugated Morpholinos (PPMOs), and the Endo-Porter delivery reagent, complemented by free oligo design assistance from Ph.D.-level scientists and HPLC purification services for high-purity oligos.
Is Gene Tools a public or private company?
Gene Tools is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Gene Tools founded?
Gene Tools was founded in 1997. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Gene Tools based?
Gene Tools is headquartered in Philomath, United States, in the North America region.
How does Gene Tools make money?
One revenue line is on record: morpholino Oligo Sales.
Who are Gene Tools's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Integrated DNA Technologies (IDT), Bio-Synthesis Inc., Eurofins Genomics, TriLink BioTechnologies and LGC Biosearch Technologies. Broad incumbents are Sarepta Therapeutics, Wave Life Sciences and Ionis Pharmaceuticals. Ajinomoto Bio-Pharma Services is listed as an others. Nippon Shinyaku is listed as an emerging player.
Does Gene Tools have an API?
No public API is recorded for Gene Tools.
What industry is Gene Tools in?
Gene Tools's product category is Antisense Oligonucleotide Reagents. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAAADAC, Antisense Oligonucleotides (ASO) Therapeutics (splice modulation/knockdown), with a secondary code of HLAAADAE, RNA Chemistry & Oligonucleotide Engineering (backbones, modifications, stereochemistry). Its NAICS code is 541714 and its SIC code is 2833.